Decision Making and Communication Tools

EM430 Unit 4

Seminar Overview

Assignments

Unit 4 Outcomes

Decision making tools Checklists Cost-benefit and effectiveness Multi-attribute tools

Communication policies Laws and regulations Executive Orders Court Decisions Changes in leadership and resources

Tips for communicating policy

Assignments

Unit 3: Brownfields Assessment – LATE Assignments MUST be submitted by end of Unit 6

Unit 4 due June 12th (110 pts): Stakeholders of MTBE Debate - Chapter #3 of Greenberg Text - Table & Map in Doc Sharing (be sure you understand expectations!)

Unit 5 due June 19th (125 pts): Review of Cap & Trade

Unit 7 due July 3rd (200 pts): Food Safety Policy

Unit 9 due July 17th (225 pts): Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill

UNIT 5 Assignment – Review of Cap and Trade

Background on Midterm Assignment:

For 20 years, the world has grappled with the global environmental climate change. To date, the international community has produced only one major agreement, the Kyoto Protocol (1997), to reduce GHG emissions that contribute to changes in the structure of the atmosphere.

• The U.S. is not a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, yet cities, states, and the federal government have been taking steps. In 2009 the EPA announced requirements about GHG emission reporting. The Obama Administration has advocated the implementation of a cap-and-trade approach to reduce emissions.

UNIT 5 Assignment – Review of Cap and Trade

Assignment Steps:

1: Acting as a policy strategist/consultant, you are to write a 3-5 page memo that will inform your client about the implications of different approaches for the U.S. to implement and address climate change. You will need to identify who your client is (e.g. an executive of a company, a non-profit, an administrative agency, etc.) and provide some basic information about the client.

UNIT 5 Assignment – Review of Cap and Trade

2: The memo should be written in memorandum format:

Date: <date>

From: <You>

To: <Client of your choice>

Subject: <Options for Mitigating U.S. Contributions to Climate Change>

UNIT 5 Assignment – Review of Cap and Trade

3: The memo has 3 sections: 1) a background section, 2) a policy process analysis section, and 3) a policy recommendation section. Begin each section by offering your client a foundational understanding of the issue before moving into details and analysis. You can assume that your client is intelligent enough to understand what you are explaining but not informed enough to be conversant about it already.

UNIT 5 Assignment – Review of Cap and Trade

4: This assignment assumes that you have already developed a basic understanding of climate change. In particular, this assignment assumes that you can already discuss how the burning of carbonaceous fuels is perturbing the climate by increasing the Earth’s greenhouse effect.

More information is available in the online assignment description. Your memo should consider all of the material covered in the course to date; however, the focus of the memo is the material in Unit 4.

UNIT 5 Assignment – Review of Cap and Trade

In addition to fulfilling the specifics of the assignment, a successful memo must also meet the following criteria:

• Length should be 3-5 pages, excluding cover page and references.

• Viewpoint and purpose should be clearly established and sustained.

• Assignment should follow the conventions of Standard American English (correct grammar, punctuation, etc.).

• Writing should be well ordered, logical and unified, as well as original and insightful.

• Your work should display superior content, organization, style, and mechanics.

• Appropriate citation style should be followed.

Unit 4 Outcomes

The distinction between “hard” and “soft” policy outputs.

The types of policy instruments.

The idea of venue-shopping.

Program experimentation and learning as a policy approach.

Checklists as Decision Making Tool

Checklists are compilations of decision-making factors

Series of questions with follow-up questions (if….then)

Are valuable to ensure that important factors to consider are not left out.

Can be seen as a “to-do” list

Question: What is one important limitation to checklists?

Checklists as Decision Making Tool

Checklists are typically welcomed by the public and community groups They want to understand the impact of alternative policies

Agency stakeholder tend to be focused on their mandate and are less likely to be concerned with other impacts that don’t meet their mandate

This difference can lead to stalemates and frustrations when dealing with policy issues

Cost-Benefit as a Tool

Cost-benefit is more complicated that checklists

Attempt to aid decision makers by converting information to costs and benefits in financial terms

This analysis makes sense since most decisions come down to monetary costs

Simple forms look at only direct costs and not environmental health and other impacts

Cost-Benefit as a Tool

Attacks against this tool are often related to putting a dollar value on human life

Businesses often attack the tool because meeting regulations are costly and assert that there are thresholds in which there are no effects Is this an immoral effort for businesses to push there costs on

the general public?

Economists feel that this analysis must be done because the fact is we can’t not afford every policy

Question: What do you think?

Multi-Attribute Analysis as a Tool

Checklists assume an equal value to every attribute of a policy issue.

Cost-benefit only focuses on dollars

Multi-attribute methods consider several objectives such as quality of life, equity, and cost-benefits

Using this method translates into multiple objectives and then specific outcomes within those objectives

Multi-Attribute Analysis as a Tool

AttributeWeight (1-10)

Option 1 (0-1)

Option 2 (0-1)

Option 3 (0-1)

Option 4 (0-1)

Minimize Cost 8 0.6 0 0.3 0.4Maximize Safety 9 0.4 1 1 0.3Min Env Damage 8 0.3 0.8 0.8 0.5Max Economic Benefit 4 0.3 0.4 0.9 0.6Min Social Disruption 3 0.2 0.4 0 0.3

Overall Score 12.6 18.2 21.4 12.1Rank 3 2 1 4

You can use “red flags” do delete options with a “0”

This method allows you to assess multiple attributes

Process is transparent

Question: What are the limitations?

The fact is that a number of tools can be used simultaneously why making or analyzing public policy

Communicating Policy

Policy decisions are made to change practice and/or send a message to a stakeholder

Tools to do this include: Laws and regulations Executive Orders Court decisions Leadership changes Budget messages

Laws and regulations are the most direct.

Question: Which is most “sneaky”?

Laws and Regs as Communication Tools

Laws spell out the broad objectives of a policy and principles of implementation

Full implementation is left to government departments or agencies, which then may delegate to the states.

Proposed rules and regulations are published in the Federal Register for comment or notice

Final regulations then published in the CFR.

Laws and regulations are a key basic form of policy communication

Executive Orders

Executive Orders can have the power to change policy without going through the process of proposing and passing a law and development of implementation

Can begin focus on an issue until a law can be passed and even help to shape that law

Can be revoked with new leadership

EOs can be a strong policy communication tool

Court Decisions as a Communication Tool

Almost every major environmental policy has been challenged in court

The courts dictate policy through interpretations and application of the law

Depending on their views, the decisions can send clear messages to EPA and force them to shift their policy

Can be confusing with appeals and overturned decisions. Messages start to get crossed.

New Leaders and Budgets

Leaders establish priorities

Leaders can be changed to reflect the views of the appointer and can be done to shape policy in an indirect way.

Allocation of resources can shape policy

Funding for less desirable programs can be cut or additional funds can be allocated for those programs seen as important

Although indirect, the policy communicated is very clear

Tips for Communicating Policy

1. Control what you want to include

2. Don’t assume the reporter or public know anything about the policy or science

3. Be prepared for personal questions

4. Don’t use jargon and be carful using comparisons

5. Be on the lookout for confusion so you can clarify

6. Be open of limitations of research

Tips for Communicating Policy

7. Suggest other perspectives but avoid being negative about them. Suggest other sources to interview.

8. Organize what you will say and how you will say it. Plan a follow-up session to review how it went

9. Coordinate with other speakers and know your stakeholders to be prepared. This is minimize confusion of messages.

10.Don’t focus on arguments of values. Instead, clear up misunderstandings while acknowledging the differences.

Any Questions….

!! NO SEMINAR IN UNIT 5 – MIDTERM WEEK !!

Office hours Monday & Thursday 8:00 - 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time

Next Week Unit 6 Seminar Monday, June 25th at 10:00 PM ET

This presentation was adapted from the prior work of Matt Mathews of Kaplan University. Thank you!